Center City Circulator Feasibility Study

About the Project

The City partnered with C&S Companies to analyze and make recommendations to enhance commuting, circulation, and parking in Downtown Rochester. Downtown's future is bright due to various developments being planned, proposed, or in progress. With the addition of workers from companies like ESL, Paetec and other Midtown occupants, Nothnagle, the Monroe County Crime Lab, and the Eastman Theater expansion, it is a perfect time to reevaluate the downtown parking situation and the possible opportunities for improving the movement of people in the downtown area.

Among the potential enhancements under consideration is a circulator transit service. Circulator buses or shuttles generally transport riders along a designated downtown loop. The loop could link various destinations within Center City, generally defined as the area within and adjacent to the Inner Loop Expressway. Circulator transport systems often alleviate the need to park in the immediate vicinity of a workplace or destination. Circulators allow commuters to park anywhere since the buses or shuttles could provide them with a convenient, reliable, and affordable means of transportation from their vehicles to their places of work, for instance.

With the help of the Rochester Business Alliance and the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation, the City surveyed the downtown workforce and analyzed parking and commuting preferences. Public meetings were held throughout the project. You can find details of the meetings below.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the City of Rochester. Read the final report below.

Public Participation

First public meeting- March 22, 2010. Comments received from the meeting were compiled and incorporated into the Workforce Transportation Survey: Interim Report that is found in the Documents section above.

A committee comprised of stakeholders from the City of Rochester, Monroe County, the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, the Genesee Transportation Council, and the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation will convene periodically throughout the project to guide the study.

Questions?

If you'd like more information about the project, please contact the city's Transportation Specialist, Mr. Erik Frisch, at (585) 428-6709, or email him.